Sandra Lemire Missing for 3 Weeks, Authorities Label Case 'Suspicious'
Sandra Lemire, 47, is still missing after meeting with a man she met online. Her family remains hopeful she will be found, but is seeking any answers leading to her return.
"In times like this, you have a thousand and one types of scenarios running through your head," Lemire's father, Robert Varner, told BayNews9.com.
Lemire disappeared on May 9, and officials have now changed the classification of her case from "missing person" to "suspicious," which will lead to further investigation.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"It makes me feel a little better," Varner stated. "I think they're taking it a little more serious now."
What is known is that Lemire met a stranger at a McDonald's in Kissimmee, Florida; officials have not released his name and have stated that surveillance footage shows him working for several hours after Lemire left the restaurant. That's the last time Lemire was seen alive, raising speculation about what could have happened in the time after they parted.
"If she said she was going shopping and would be back in an hour, she would be back in an hour," her mother Pauline told the Orlando Sentinel. One thing that has her parents worried is her diabetic condition. The night of May 9, Lemire left her house without any insulin or syringes, which she needed.
Lemire has three adult sons who are asking for any and all help in finding their mother.
"Still no word on my mom and she has been missing for like three weeks," son Chris posted on Facebook. "She hasn't even met her granddaughter yet."
"We just want to know what happened to her and if there is any way we can help her come back," Robert Varner stated. "We don't have any closure. We just want the closure. We want to know what happened to her; we'd like to say hopefully they will find the person or people that did this and bring them to justice, but we don't have any leads."
"We would normally have come across the car or her within 30 days," Sgt. Vince Ogburn told reporters. Because they have not had any reported sightings of Lemire or her vehicle, the case has been labeled "suspicious."
Yet no one is giving up hope yet.
"We have no reason to believe she is not alive," Ogburn added.
A $5,000 reward is offered for information leading to the recovery of Lemire or her vehicle. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 1-800-423-TIPS.
